Mary Alford’s Event Journal

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Carol Sudhalter is wonderful. However, Iridium is remarkably overpriced, targeting the wealthy and/or ignorant tourists. Their management is greedy: e.g., $12-15 for a mere 2-3 ounces of wine. They also TAX the very expensive per-set MUSIC COVER CHARGE -- this is simply Not Done in jazz venues, and may be illegal. The music charge should be separate from the food and beverage bill, at the least. I could not possibly have afforded to remain for the second half of my friend's birthday celebration performance. To complicate matters, the $25 (first-set) music charge had been added -- and taxed -- on my check, depsite my having bought tickets from Goldstar already. A revised bill was brought to me, and it was someone else's check; eventually this was straightened out, but I am not happy; although, I'm sure I contributed to the confusion. I've lived in Manhattan 35 years and have attended hundreds of jazz performances, but I don't expect to visit Iridium again. It's always been too expensive, which is why I felt I couldn't even come to hear Les Paul over the years. It's not economically accessible to most jazz aficionados. I hope the musicians (my friends) were adequately paid and well-treated last evening.